


Nebula

by DecorDilemma



Series: A new home [1]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Post-Transformers: Lost Light 25
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 11:11:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18051401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecorDilemma/pseuds/DecorDilemma
Summary: In the late hours after the quantum-split, Megatron has some things to think about. Also, Rodimus and Minimus worry too much.





	Nebula

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea for this fic shortly after reading LL25 several months ago, but it's taken a while to get it ready for posting.  
> Thanks to mezzo for beta'ing! Any mistakes left are mine.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

The Lost Light was speeding through the vacuum of space, letting the view outside shift with time. They had already passed several small star systems from afar.

They had decided to dim the internal lighting of the bridge in order to ‘maximise the feel’ as Rodimus had so eloquently put it. Currently, they were passing by a nebula that glowed a myriad of colors, and the bridge of the Lost Light was bathed in its light. Some of the crew was still gathered around the area, having chosen to admire the view before recharge.

Out of habit, Megatron took a moment to check on everyone. It was mostly those in the so-called Rod Squad, since most others had decided to spend the evening on the observation deck or elsewhere on the ship instead. Of those left, Rewind was filming near the windows and talking excitedly to Tailgate while Chromedome, standing behind them, was nodding along. Tailgate had spent the entire day hoverboarding around the corridors, but he was somehow still awake. Maybe his happiness for the continued journey had kept him up.

Cyclonus, Brainstorm and Perceptor were close by as well, and the two scientists were tinkering with something reportedly harmless. They had sworn it would cause no explosions or other permanent damage to anything either inside or outside the ship, and although all the officers had, on several separate occasions, told them to take it to the lab, there it still was. Neither Megatron nor any of the others had been able to make themselves enforce the order today, and besides, nothing bad had happened so far.

Speaking of, Whirl was resting against a wall, watching everyone quietly. He was obviously planning something, and Lug and Anode were sending him conspiratorial looks. Even if the two explorers were trustworthy, which Megatron doubted, Whirl’s uncharacteristic behaviour was disconcerting. He set a reminder to ask Magnus to keep an optic on them.

 

Looking around, he could see that not everyone was on the lower level. Roller and First Aid had joined the Scavengers on one of the balconies and were apparently playing a game of some sort. Misfire was laughing, and then Nickel lunged at him and Crankcase almost fell off the edge dodging her. It seemed to all be in good fun, though. It was still unclear to him how the group had ended up on the Lost Light, along with Grimlock of all autobots, but they certainly fit in well.

On another balcony, Thunderclash was writing on a datapad while Velocity, Nautica and Riptide tried to look like they weren’t looking over his shoulder. Megatron vaguely remembered having had some issues with his troops reading Thunderclash's published diaries and being swayed by the Autobot rhetoric, back during the war. The books had apparently had an audience of millions, both Cybertronian and not.

Maybe he could find a new market somewhere in this universe. And maybe there would be some interest in Megatron’s own works, too. Or maybe not. In any case, it was not a relevant concern at this time.

Some of the usual suspects were missing, Drift and Ratchet among them. They had disappeared somewhere together a few hours ago, right after Drift had been given a remarkably obnoxious thumbs-up by Rodimus. Swerve and Fortress Maximus had left a while ago as well, but they had promised to bring back drinks for everyone. It remained to be seen if they would, since some of the crew was holding a party at Swerve’s.

The rest were spread around the ship, doing whatever they wanted to do, and quiet conversation filled the air.

They were all off duty for the rest of the night, but Megatron and Rodimus were both still sitting in their captain’s chairs while Ultra Magnus stood behind them, surveying the scene.

Megatron could admit to himself that it was quite peaceful and… nice. He leaned back in his chair and shut down his optics.

Finally, he could just be and take a moment to reflect. There was no danger here.

 

While he had done his best to avoid showing it to the others, the last few weeks had taken their toll on him. Ever since the defeat of the Functionist Council, he had been waiting for someone to bring up the topic of his trial. Thus, once Prowl had finally done so, he had almost expected to feel relief. Instead, all he had felt was a mounting dread and resignation, in addition to the ever-present regret.

He knew he deserved to be sentenced, that it was the right of others to get justice. Besides, he had already survived far past his wildest dreams, and the world would surely be a more peaceful place without him, no matter his changed views. After all that had happened, however, he couldn’t help but want to live, and to use that life to help others. And no matter how selfish it may be of him, he wanted that life to be here, on the Lost Light. The feel of Rodimus’s and Magnus’s EM fields, pulsing gently next to him as they watched the stars, was something he did not wish to lose. He took a deep in-vent, and ex-vented slowly.

Terminus. Orion. Nightstalker. Impactor. All those he had met anew and then lost during his time in the Functionist Universe, and all those he had learned to cherish for the first time during his exile… They meant a great deal to him still. And now that Clicker had decided to stay behind on Cybertron, in a way he had lost him as well.

 

However, it had been the familiar presence of the Rodimus Star in his subspace that had given him strength even in his darkest times. As silly as it was, and as much as he had hated it at first, the trinket had become his most treasured possession. All the times he had faltered, all the times he had questioned his resolve, and all the times he had been forced to watch from the sidelines as people’s lives were torn to shreds, the Rodimus Star had been his anchor.

He focused on Rodimus’s field now, and it radiated that same warmth he had been able to recall whenever he had looked at the small piece of gold, even two whole universes away. He really should thank Rodimus, one of these days.

 

And Magnus, dear Minimus Ambus, had forgiven him despite everything. Ultra Magnus’s reputation as a fair arbiter had been respected even among the Decepticons, but to Megatron he had only been a name on a datapad. Then the Prime had appointed him as Megatron’s defence orator during his trial, but it had not been a personal relationship of any kind. To put it bluntly, Ultra Magnus had only been a tool at his disposal.

In the years since, though, Minimus had come to be a stable constant by his side, and now he was someone whose advice Megatron valued above all others’. He truly had no idea how to express to Minimus how much he appreciated his companionship.

 

So yes, he had been terrified when Prowl had brought up the trial. He knew what he deserved, but it was wrong to put Rodimus and Minimus through such hardship. There had been nothing he could do, but that had made it no easier to accept. And then.

Then they had gone on that lap of honor, and he should have known to expect something like this right from the beginning.

 

Without warning, Rodimus’s voice had rung out all over the ship.

_“Ahem. Attention, everyone! I’ve got something very important I need to ask.”_

Megatron had lifted his head from his conversation with Magnus, right on time to pay full attention to what came next.

_“I mean, one last lap around the universe is fine and all, but would you like it if the journey didn’t end?”_

That was how Rodimus had called for a vote through the ship’s internal comms, about a day ago now. Before hearing the results of the vote, he had doubted everyone would agree. He had been certain that there was at least one ‘bot left on board who still hated him strongly enough to vote against the plan. However, turns out that they all either hated the idea of stopping more than they hated him, or that Rodimus had somehow managed to win the absolute loyalty of the crew.

No matter which was true, now he had to wonder if his initial expectations said more about himself than the others.

Even after the successful vote, Megatron had had little hope that the plan would work. But if he had learned anything in his years after the war, it was that the crew of the Lost Light could work miracles.

 

He wondered what was going to happen to the version of them left behind in their original universe. For himself, execution was the most likely result. At worst, he would be sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite how much he believed he had changed since the war, in some ways he stayed the same.

Were Optimus to ask him again, he would still give the same answer—given the choice, he would choose death.

He could only hope that Rodimus and Minimus would be able to forgive him for that, too.

He had a lot to apologize for, didn’t he?

 

That was when he felt it. Someone—Rodimus, he realized—had set a servo on his shoulder. He onlined his optics to see his captain worriedly leaning over him. He blinked.

Rodimus didn’t move.

“Are you okay? Your field was rippling in a weird way.” Thankfully, he kept his voice low. Megatron realized that his servos were shaking slightly. He stilled them before answering.

“I’m fine. I was simply lost in thought,” He said, just as quietly. He looked into Rodimus’s optics, willing him to believe the words. A few seconds passed before Rodimus nodded and removed his servo, but right then Megatron noticed that Magnus had moved to stand behind his chair.

He sighed. Keeping his voice down, he said, “I did not mean to worry you two, but thank you for your concern.”

Magnus did not move, and neither did Rodimus. The bridge had gone strangely silent as well, and Megatron suddenly felt quite awkward. He was not looking forward to the inevitable Lost Light Insider article.

It was possible that Rodimus noticed this, or maybe he did it on impulse. Only he knew. Regardless of the reason, one moment he was standing there, and the next he was sitting down in Megatron’s lap.

“Ahh, this is much comfier. Wouldn’t you agree, Megs?” He was giving him that shameless grin again.

Megatron coughed but did not move to push Rodimus away. It wasn’t so bad. Instead, he turned his head to check, and yes, Magnus was still standing right behind him, offering comfort in his own way. Megatron sensed an opportunity for an even better distraction, for both him and the crew. And maybe, after such a strange day, Magnus would even agree to go along with it. It was worth a shot, at least.

He smirked and turned to say, “Minimus, please, have a seat. Standing all the time must be tiring.”

Rodimus leaned back against Megatron and smiled up at him too.

Magnus frowned and said, “I prefer to stand, thank you.” Megatron had expected that answer, and so he turned to Rodimus. He didn’t even need to say anything, as Rodimus had clearly already figured out the plan. He twisted around in Megatron’s lap and said, in his most authoritative voice,

“Yeah, Magnus, sit. Co-captains’ orders.” And oh, how he had missed hearing that title, even though he was still unsure if he should accept it. But that was a conversation for later, when there were no curious audials spying on them.

 

At this point everyone was definitely staring at them instead of at the view, but at least it was not because of him. He hoped that they weren’t making Magnus feel too self-conscious, though. It might have been better to make Rodimus carry the brunt of the attention somehow, since he at least seemed to revel in it.

Magnus made a short, aborted movement with a servo, nodded stiffly and started walking towards Rodimus’s empty chair. However, he had barely taken two steps before the chair’s owner spoke up again, “Nope. Not in that one.”

Magnus looked confused for all of two seconds before blanching. He spluttered, “No, no, I couldn’t. Besides, I am too big to fit and-” And that was as far as Rodimus let him get before interrupting, pointing a digit in the air for emphasis, “Shh! No, you aren’t, and yes you totally could and should. So, come on.”

Now Magnus turned towards Megatron with a pleading expression. Oh, Primus. Megatron nodded and made sure to look him straight in the optics. This had to be handled carefully.

“If you truly do not want to, that is fine. But know that both of us are fine with it.” He tried to smile invitingly and reached out with his field. The light filtering in through the gas clouds had turned a vivid green while they had been talking, and now it lit up the curious faces of everyone on the bridge. Megatron ignored them and focused on Magnus.

 

For a moment it seemed like Magnus would refuse the offer, and Megatron could feel Rodimus’s frame tensing a little. Then the moment passed, and the armor opened to let out Minimus Ambus. He was clearly embarrassed and even slightly irritated, but he walked back to them nevertheless.

Rodimus immediately reached down to pick him up, and Minimus complied. His field was slightly more rigid than it had been before, but thankfully not by much. Once Minimus was sitting comfortably in Rodimus’s lap, Megatron didn’t have to think about it. He put his servos around them both and drew them close.

And like a switch had been hit, the rest of the crew went back to whatever they had been doing before the interruption, with not a single comment. For some reason, his processor felt lighter than it had in years. Megatron leaned back in his chair and felt his frame relax.

The Nebula blazed at them with the light of a thousand stars, and both Rodimus and Minimus were captivated. He agreed—they were indeed beautiful to look at.

 

 

/ / / / / /

 

 

It was- It couldn’t be. But it was. He would have laughed if it wasn’t so shocking.

Megatron was recharging, and still sitting upright with both him and Minimus on his lap on the bridge. In the half an hour or so during which Rodimus had failed to check on him, Megatron had somehow fallen into recharge. He must have been exhausted.

The bridge was finally looking a bit emptier, at least. Lug and Anode had already left, and it seemed like Tailgate was starting to nod off. Cyclonus was going to step in any moment now.

Rodimus tried to slide his servo out from under Megatron’s. It moved a little, but Megatron’s grip was surprisingly tight.

_Scrap._

“Uh… Mags?” He asked quietly. Minimus hmm’d but didn’t react otherwise. _Okay then._

“How comfortable are you, right now?” That got his attention. Whirl was looking their way now, and yeah, he was clearly laughing at them.

“Why do you ask?” Minimus was still looking at the view, but Rodimus could feel the minute changes in his frame and field, as close as he was. Maybe he should have phrased that differently. Oh, well, nothing he could do about it now.

“Because I really don’t think we should wake up Megs.”

And he definitely should have phrased that differently, or eased Minimus into it somehow, or something, because it was like the previously drowsy mech suddenly turned into a hard, inanimate lump of metal in his hold. Even his vents froze.

Rodimus wished he was more surprised at this than he was. Some things really didn’t change.

He sighed and—carefully, carefully!—leaned his helm back against Megatron’s chest panelling. When nothing happened after a while, except that Cyclonus finally scooped up Tailgate, who was barely awake at that point, he started to run a servo slowly back and forth along Minimus’s frame, trying to stop him from driving himself into a panic. Even if he had wanted to leave, Rodimus was very much stuck here now.

It seemed to take forever, but eventually Rodimus felt Minimus start to unwind. It happened in increments, one piece of plating at a time, joint by joint. Rodimus could nearly see the processing loop resolving itself. He continued moving his servo even after he heard Minimus’s vents click back on. It had been a very long day for all of them, full of stress and surprises, and it had probably hit Minimus the hardest of them all. Except for Megatron, at least.

A little bit later, Minimus twisted around to look at Megatron. Rodimus found his expression unusually inscrutable, but his field was full of concern. Slowly, Minimus turned back around, and Rodimus could almost hear him think.

Then he stated, voice calm and steady, “I am suitably comfortable, Rodimus.”

And that was that.

 

After a while, Rodimus tried to go back to watching the stars, but he didn’t much feel like it anymore. Of course, he had known that Megatron hadn’t been resting well after his return. He just hadn’t thought it had gotten this bad. From now on, he would have to be more attentive. Or he would try to be, anyway.

He had a feeling he recognised some of what he had seen on Minimus’s face. Guilt was a nasty emotion, and it was one Rodimus was very familiar with.

He should have paid more attention to Megatron’s wellbeing, after everything. He may have been his co-captain, but he was still a part of the crew, and that made him Rodimus’s responsibility. Especially at a time like this…

No, that wasn’t right at all. He may have been responsible for Megatron because of his duties, but it went much deeper than that. He knew that he had gotten slightly too into his role as the proper, rightful captain of his crew lately, but it was difficult to dial back now. Megatron deserved more from him than to be treated like a random crewmember, though.

If he was honest with himself, which he usually was, it felt like he had let down someone like- someone like Drift. It wasn’t quite the same, but it was still personal. He wanted to do right by him, and it had very little to do with their titles or professional relationship. …Technically, they didn’t even have a professional relationship anymore, since Megatron had broken the terms of his release.

As far as he was concerned, though, it didn’t matter. Megatron had more than earned his co-captaincy. But now he was just thinking in circles.

No matter who was captain or co-captain, his and Megatron’s relationship had been changing ever since before the mutiny. So maybe Getaway hadn’t been completely wrong. The idea of losing Megatron, or of letting him down as he clearly had just now was... It didn’t feel good. And judging by Minimus’s reaction just now, he wasn’t the only one who’d had trouble swallowing Prowl’s orders, regardless of what Megatron said.

But they had escaped, and from now on they could do whatever the hell they wanted to. Prowl or Windblade or the Galactic Council couldn’t stop them now.

Come to think of it, he should probably talk to Megatron about what that ‘whatever’ was that they wanted to do now, and to do it soon. Not only regarding the crew, either. And not only to him, but also...

He sought out Minimus’s servo, and once he found it, he linked their digits together. Minimus squeezed his servo, and he squeezed back.

He was sure of it. That discussion would have to have three mechs in it, or it wouldn’t work out right. But all the same, it couldn’t happen now.

He swept his gaze over the emptying bridge, looked shortly at the gas clouds visible through the windows, and turned off his optics. Maybe it was time to power down. They wouldn’t be moving anywhere until Megatron woke up, anyway.

 

 

/ / / / / /

 

 

Minimus was the first one to wake up. He sensed movement from a few meters behind him and to his right, which caused his battle protocols to activate his emergency boot-up sequence. For a moment he was disorientated, confused about the information coming in from his gyros. Then the memories came back, and he just barely managed to stop himself from wrenching away and dropping to the floor.

Instead, he turned his head to see who had entered the bridge. It was Crankcase, silently walking towards the ship’s controls. He waved at Minimus when he noticed him. Minimus nodded back, silently. As ridiculous as the situation was, it was no excuse to be impolite. His servos were trapped under both his captains’, and it made it impossible to wave back.

It implied good things of Crankcase that he came to check on the ship’s course in his free time. He had already been named one of the main pilots unofficially, but they would have to make it official as soon as possible.

It could wait until such a time that they knew their next destination, though, Minimus admitted to himself.

For the time being, he couldn’t help with that, as Megatron and Rodimus were still deep in recharge behind him. Their fields were softly flowing over his, and the energy was so calm and steady that he could almost imagine himself giving in to their pull. However, to ensure the optimal functioning of the ship, it was better for him to remain awake and start his shift.

He checked his schedule for the day and realized that it was empty. _Strange._

Then he checked Rodimus’s and Megatron’s and discovered the same issue in both. It couldn’t be right—there was no way for both of the captains and their second in command to be off duty at the same time! …Maybe he should wake up Rodimus.

Not Megatron, not yet. He should be allowed to recharge for as long as possible.

Minimus noticed that he was tapping a digit against his thigh plating. He stilled it immediately. It was important to minimise any noises or movements to avoid disturbing Megatron’s rest.

Then again, if Rodimus awoke and decided that they should take up shifts, they would also have to wake up Megatron. The thought made him uneasy.

 

Megatron’s autonomous systems had let him shut down while he was surrounded by others and trapped under two other mechs. That indicated a great degree of time between proper defragmentation cycles, which in turn meant that his ability to deal with his duties may have become compromised. And on top of it, Megatron was a medic now. He should know better.

Still, to his chagrin, that wasn’t what bothered Minimus the most.

Why hadn’t Megatron come to him with his problems? Did he believe Minimus’s help to be so inadequate that he had decided not to even ask? Maybe he had talked to Rodimus, instead… But no, the other captain would have certainly refused to let things get this bad, had he known.

Well, he thought, speculation was useless. He would just have to ask Megatron to explain himself later. It was the best he could do, given the situation. After all, something that he had learned during these last few years was that open communication went a long way towards solving interpersonal issues.

 

He forced his systems to calm down, lest his field’s flickering wake up the captains. The bridge was mostly empty, and the lights remained dim. An hour more of recharge couldn’t hurt, could it?

He still found it difficult to relax outside of his quarters, but it was important to ensure that Rodimus and Megatron stayed in good health. Additionally, he had managed to recharge here for most of the night shift already, so clearly his systems needed the rest.

Over at the command panel, Crankcase was calmly checking over the navigation controls. Surely if something went wrong, he would alert them. They may not have learned much about this universe yet, but so far there had been no negative surprises.

Minimus consciously relaxed his joints and focused on the weight of the servos around him. He didn’t have to wake up anyone, not yet. He didn’t even need to be awake, really. So maybe, he thought, he should sleep in for once.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and feel free to leave a comment/kudos. No pressure, though.
> 
> PS. I'm planning on continuing this as a series of snapshots from different characters' points of view, and I've got some drafts written, but it might take a while before I update.


End file.
